“Fellow Daoist Su, this Emperor will take his leave first.”
“Safe travels, Fellow Daoist Huangfu.”
Su Qian politely declined the invitation to stay at the imperial palace, and Huangfu Cheng departed shortly after.
To him, the Great Qian Dynasty was his life.
At this critical juncture, every bit of extra strength was an added layer of security.
“Little Yi-Yi, take Zhu Huai and Wenren Jing and leave first. The issue is no longer about control; it is a matter of survival or destruction,” Su Qian said with a worried expression.
She could afford to be indifferent, but these youngsters could not. They were the future of the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect, and they absolutely could not be allowed to face a situation of certain death.
“Alright, I understand.”
Wang Xuanyi did not say much. He understood that they would only be a burden if they stayed.
No matter how foolish Zhu Huai was, she could understand that this was no longer something they could get involved in.
“Let’s go. I will take you to find Jing’er.”
With that, Su Qian sent a sound transmission to Xiao Hongye, then led Wang Xuanyi and Zhu Huai toward the Wenren clan.
With such a major event happening in the royal capital, it was impossible for the Wenren clan to be completely in the dark. They were likely already planning how to arrange for Wenren Jing’s escape.
...
The Imperial Palace of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Unlike the Murong family, who lived in the floating island city, the imperial palace was situated in the center of the busiest and most bustling part of the royal capital.
Under the twilight sky, the scattered rays of the setting sun coated it in a layer of frosted gold. It stood like the most loyal guardian of this world, quietly resting at the center of Yunzhou—composed, mysterious, and symbolizing the prosperity and strength of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Huangfu Cheng strolled through the empty palace, his gaze sweeping over everything as he touched the home that had accompanied him for thousands of years, before finally taking his seat on the dragon throne.
The Lord of Yunzhou, the beacon of faith for millions of people.
“Imperial Father.”
“Bin’er? Did this Emperor not tell you to follow the State Protector...”
“Your Majesty.”
Huangfu Cheng looked at the two figures approaching in the twilight glow. Stunned for a moment, he scolded, “Nonsense!”
“Bin’er is not making a scene. Imperial Father works tirelessly for the nation and its people. As a prince, how can I flee on the eve of battle?” Huangfu Bin bowed with a firm tone.
“This matter is of grave importance. Staying here will only cause trouble.”
“If Imperial Father does not retreat, this child will not retreat.”
Standing firm against the pressure of a half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator, Huangfu Bin’s posture remained straight, his eyes burning with a resolute determination to defend his home and country.
Among all the princes, he possessed the highest cultivation and the greatest ability. If his cultivation could not protect what needed to be protected, then what was the point of his path of cultivation?
Seeing his son’s unyielding spirit, Huangfu Cheng turned his gaze to State Protector Tang Yan and said, “Tang Yan, he is acting recklessly, and you are joining him?”
“Your Majesty, even you cannot stop the Prince’s determination. How could I possibly hold him back?” Tang Yan shrugged and said nonchalantly.
He and Huangfu Cheng had known each other for a long time. Having grown up together since childhood, they had once promised to forge a prosperous era that no previous dynasty could match.
Unfortunately, his talent was limited, preventing him from pursuing higher realms or easing the burdens of his childhood friend.
The only thing he could do now was to live and die together with him.
“Sigh.”
Huangfu Cheng sighed heavily. Looking at the two stubborn men before him—one his most proud prince, the other his sworn brother—he found himself utterly helpless.
“Forget it. At this point, there is no use dwelling on it.”
“How is the situation on the Murong family’s side?” Tang Yan asked.
“It can no longer be resolved. Murong Hai has already entered the peak of the Dao Integration Realm, and I cannot completely eliminate him in a short time,” Huangfu Cheng said truthfully.
Well before Su Qian and the others arrived, Huangfu Cheng had taken two Dao Integration Realm cultivators to the Murong family, joining forces with Murong Fu and others in an attempt to eliminate the threat once and for all.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm demon cultivator was stationed just outside the royal capital. After a brief clash, Huangfu Cheng and Murong Fu’s side forced the demon cultivator to retreat, though at the cost of losing two Dao Integration Realm cultivators.
Because of this, they had obtained this brief moment of peace.
But this was only temporary.
That demon cultivator carried the aura of a Dao-Absolute Sovereign Weapon. The mere moment it manifested, it had caused a Dao Integration Realm cultivator to fall into the demonic path.
Although it was unknown why the demon cultivator had fled, this meant that an even greater storm was on the horizon.
Hearing Huangfu Cheng’s description, Tang Yan’s expression grew much more solemn. He spoke up, “The commoners in the city cannot be evacuated on a large scale. I have already stationed heavy guards at all points of the city-protecting array. As long as you Dao Integration Realm cultivators do not fight inside the royal capital, defending against Void Return Realm cultivators should not be a major issue.”
“You have done very well,” Huangfu Cheng said, the gravity of his expression not lessening in the slightest.
How could they easily interfere with Dao Integration Realm and half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators? Demon cultivators were demon cultivators precisely because they would use any means necessary.
The city-protecting array was merely a source of psychological comfort.
...
At the residence of the Wenren clan, Su Qian was discussing matters with Wenren Jing’s parents. Zhu Huai and Wenren Jing were eating snacks to the side, while Wang Xuanyi took this opportunity to ask the Immortal Phoenix a few questions.
“Yawn~ What is it, Little Xuan?” the sleepy voice of the Immortal Phoenix echoed from within Wang Xuanyi.
“Do you have any spells that can seal a Dao-Absolute Sovereign Weapon?”
“Huh?”
With those words, the Immortal Phoenix jolted awake. She immediately wanted to emerge from Wang Xuanyi’s body to see what was going on, but he pressed her back down.
“Don’t come out yet. Answer me first.”
“There is, but that is an immortal spell. It is extremely difficult to comprehend. Why? Have you offended some power you shouldn't have?” the Immortal Phoenix asked in confusion.
“No, I’ve just run into a rather thorny situation.”
Wang Xuanyi explained the impending events in Yunzhou, describing the bleak outcome according to the original plot.
Even if they wanted to leave now, it would probably be difficult.
With two half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators, several in the Dao Integration Realm, and an unimaginable number of Void Return Realm enemies, how could they possibly break through the encirclement completely?
The only effective way was to suppress the power of the Dao-Absolute Sovereign Weapon, allowing them to win by leveraging the numerical advantage of their three half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm experts: Xiao Hongye, Su Qian, and Huangfu Cheng.
Otherwise, they might all die.
“The demon and demon beast races are launching a joint campaign against Yunzhou with a Dao-Absolute Sovereign Weapon? Then it can only be the Ten Thousand Soul Banner left behind from the ancient Ten Thousand Immortal Era.”
“The Ten Thousand Soul Banner?!”
“Yes. The demon and demon beast paths possess only two Sovereign Weapons in total. One is the Soul-Consuming Bell, forged from the bones of a demon beast immortal, and the other is the demonic path’s Ten Thousand Soul Banner.”
“Alright then.”
Hearing the name “Ten Thousand Soul Banner,” Wang Xuanyi was all too familiar with it.
When reading web novels in his past life, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was the most common artifact of its kind. It rarely appeared, but once it did, it was always built upon the lives of hundreds of millions, absorbing the essence, blood, energy, spirit, and souls of all living beings as raw materials for its advancement. It was the most evil magical artifact between heaven and earth.
“Then pass down the immortal spell that can seal a Dao-Absolute Sovereign Weapon to me,” Wang Xuanyi said.
“Are you kidding me? That is the ultimate technique of the Heaven-Sealing Dao Immortal, one of the Seven Human Immortals. Even if I pass it to you now, it won't do any good,” the Immortal Phoenix grumbled.
“Cut the chatter and pass it to me quickly.”
“Fine, fine, fine, here it is.”
The Immortal Phoenix sat cross-legged within Wang Xuanyi’s Dao palace, pouting discontentedly as she transmitted the ultimate technique of the Heaven-Sealing Dao Immortal into his mind.
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